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Anderson, Elizabeth b. June 9, 1836 d. December 17, 1917Medical Pioneer, Social Reformer. She is regarded as being the first British woman doctor (Elizabeth Blackwell preceded her, but Dr. Blackwell, although born in Bristol, received her medical training in America). Born at 1 Whitechapel Road in the East End of London, her family had moved to London from Suffolk and, in March 1871, they returned to their native county. Elizabeth was educated privately. From an early age, it was her ambition to become a doctor and, when asked why she would not be...[Read More] (Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine)St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal District, Suffolk, England

Britten, Benjamin b. November 22, 1913 d. December 4, 1976Composer, Musician. Edward Benjamin Britten often remarked that he was destined for a career in music, because he was born on St. Cecilia's Day. He was a native of Lowestoft in Suffolk and was educated at Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk. He studied music under Frank Bridge and, later, John Ireland. Among his best-known works are the operas "Peter Grimes," "Albert Herring," "Billy Budd," "Paul Bunyan" and "The Turn of the Screw," as well as "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra." He is...[Read More] (Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine)St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal District, Suffolk, England

Cross, Joan b. September 7, 1900 d. December 12, 1993Opera Singer. She was born in London and was educated at St. Paul's Girls' School, where her music teacher was Gustav Holst, and at Trinity College, London, where she played the violin. In 1924, she joined Lilian Baylis's Old Vic Opera Company and, from 1931 to 1946, was the principal soprano of Sadlers Wells Opera. In 1948, she founded the Opera School (later, the National School of Opera) and remained a director until 1964. She created the lead soprano roles in five operas by Benjamin Britten:...[Read More] (Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine)St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal District, Suffolk, England

Garrett, Newson b. July 31, 1812 d. May 4, 1893Newson Garrett was born in Leiston in Suffolk. As a young man, he moved to London and began work as a pawnbroker. It was there that he married Louisa Dunnell and that their daughter, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (q.v.) was born. In March 1841, however, he moved back to Suffolk in order to begin a new career as a shipmerchant of barley and coal. In 1889, he was elected to the position of Mayor of Aldeburgh, a post to which his daughter was to follow him in 1908, some fifteen years after his death. (Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine)Cause of death: Heart attackSt Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal District, Suffolk, England

Holst, Imogen b. April 12, 1907 d. March 9, 1984Composer, Conductor. She was born in Richmond, Surrey, the daughter of Gustav Holst and his wife, Isobel Harrison. She was educated at St. Paul's Girls' School in London and at the Royal College of Music. From 1943 to 1951, she served as the Director of the Music Arts Centre at Dartington Hall in Devon from 1952 to 1964, as the musical assistant to Benjamin Britten, and, from 1953 to 1967, as the conductor of the Purcell Singers. In addition to writing and performing her own music, she was well-...[Read More] (Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine)St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal District, Suffolk, England

Pears, Peter b. June 22, 1910 d. April 3, 1986Opera Singer. He was born in Farnham in Surrey. He was educated at Lancing School in Sussex, at Hertford College in Oxford, where he was an organ scholar, and at the Royal College of Music. In 1936, he met Benjamin Britten ; the following year, they gave their first concert together (Pears singing, Britten on piano) at Balliol College in Oxford, to support the Government in the Spanish Civil War. From 1939 to 1942, the two men lived in the United States and in Canada. On their return, Peter...[Read More] (Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine)St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal District, Suffolk, England

Woodland, Rae b. April 9, 1922 d. December 12, 2013Opera Singer. A soprano, she is remembered for her long career in her country's principal venues. Raised in Nottingham, she was educated in local Convent schools, studied voice in London with baritone Roy Henderson, and at a master class given by soprano Lotte Lehmann so impressed the great Wagnerian that she was offered a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. When making her operatic debut, Rae 'started at the top', singing what was to be her signature piece, the Queen of the Night in a...[Read More] (Bio by: Bob Hufford)St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coastal District, Suffolk, England